Curried Away

October 31, 2016
Early in Oust’s charming fourth Spice Shop cozy (after 2015’s Cinnamon Toasted), handyman Ned Feeney stumbles on the dead body of the heartily disliked Sandy Granger in the Brandywine Creek, Ga., opera house. Sandy was directing a local production of Steel Magnolias and had earned the wrath of many of the players, but who wanted the woman dead? Piper Prescott, owner of the Spice It Up! shop, might have stayed out of this one if the evidence hadn’t pointed toward her BFF, Reba Mae Johnson. Police chief Wyatt McBride doesn’t want to hear what Piper thinks, so she’ll have to clear Reba Mae’s name on her own. Rampant gossip, a plethora of ladies who are themselves perfect stand-ins for the cast of Steel Magnolias, and Piper’s ailing relationship with aspiring chef Doug Winters all blend nicely together until a somewhat flimsy motive leads to a killer. Three appealing recipes, one for spicy chicken curry, round out the volume. Agent: Jessica Faust, BooksEnds.

October 15, 2016
Mayhem erupts in Brandywine Creek, Georgia, when the director of a community theater production is found strangled.All right, so maybe hairdresser Reba Mae Johnson couldn't remember all her lines. That's no reason for Sandy Granger to snatch the plum part of Truvy Jones out of Reba's well-manicured hands. Her best friend, Piper Prescott (Cinnamon Toasted, 2015, etc.), condoles with the ousted Reba while counting out bags of cardamom at her shop, Spice it Up! But once Sandy's body is found backstage at the opera house, her Hermes scarf knotted way too tightly around her neck, the amateur sleuth feels obliged to investigate, if only to shield Reba from imminent arrest by Brandywine Creek's intrepid, and very handsome, police chief, Wyatt McBride. Piper is kind of at loose ends anyway, since her frequent companion, gentle veterinarian Doug Winters, is busy catering to the every whim of his teenage daughter, Madison. Piper soon discovers that Reba is far from the only member of the Steel Magnolias cast with a grudge against Sandy. Bunny Bowtin, Jolene Tucker, Wanda Needmore, Dorinda Kunkel, and Mary Lou Lambert are all spitting mad at their director. So it should be a walk in the park to find out who did Sandy in--if only there weren't a brutal murderer lurking out there, too. Oust takes some pretty ordinary ingredients and lets her spicy heroine give them just a little more bite.

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December 1, 2016

A transplanted Yankee in Brandywine Creek, GA, Piper Prescott has forged a new life after her divorce. She's running her store, Spice It Up, and dating a new boyfriend, veterinarian Doug Winters, whom she has persuaded to demonstrate how to make chicken curry at her shop. But before Doug can finish preparing the meal, local handyman Ned Feeney bursts in with shocking news: the strangled body of Sandy Granger had been found in the Brandywine Creek Opera House. While directing a local production of Steel Magnolias, Sally had managed to infuriate the entire cast and crew. Yet when Piper's best friend Ruby Mae Johnson becomes the prime suspect, Piper has to investigate to clear Ruby's name, much to the dismay of the dashing sheriff, Wyatt McBride. An intrepid amateur sleuth, Piper is determined to help her friends and family. VERDICT Blending just the right ingredients of humor, mystery, and action, Oust bakes up a delightful and tasty Southern cozy in her fourth series outing (after Cinnamon Toasted). Paige Shelton and G.A. McKevett fans will eat this one up.

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